In dentistry, once a decayed tooth has been drilled, it must be filled with a composite material. This historically comes is pre-filled carpules. These are bent, hollow polymer containers open on each end that that house the composite material. On the proximal end there is a cup frictionally sealed about its perimeter to the walls of the circular cross sectional carpule, and on the distal end there is a removable cap. Between the cap and the cup resides the composite. It is applied into the cavity by a pressure that is exerted on the cup such that the cup axially slides along the inside of the carpule and forces the composite out the distal end. The current applicators are large cumberson hand actuated pistons or air actuated cylinders. Besides each being large enough to obscure the dentist's view, each has its own drawbacks.
The precision of the hand actuated pistons are limited by the stability of the dentist's hands. This is difficult because of the force needed to drive the cylinder causes the dentist's hand to shake, and because of its physical size, the dentist cannot brace and fulcrum his hand against the patient's jaw/chin. The air actuated pistons need a source of compressed air to operate. This adds another cumbersome hose to complicate matters. The size of the current devices prevent a full view of the oral cavity, and their lack of stability results in many a “blind” filling.
The carpules have to commonly be replaced or swapped out when blending colors and materials. The dental assistant generally does this process, necessitating the transfer of the device and its hoses (in the case of the air actuated cylinder) around the patient. To complicate matters, the application of the composite is a time sensitive maneuver.
Thus, a smaller, more controllable, cordless device for the application of dental composite from conventional, commercially available carpules, would be a welcome improvement in the dental industry. It would allow a much better delivery of the dental filling composite. Such a solution is provided by the embodiments set forth below.